Terminal check-valve for force-feed lubricating systems



W. J. SCHLACKS.

TERMINAL CHECK VALVE FOR FORCE FEED LUBRICATING SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION HLED AuG.25. 1919.

1,376,833. Patented May 3, 1921.

i L /W J \6 a m m UNITED STATES WILLIAM J. SCI-ILACKS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TERMINAL CHECK-VALVE FOR FORCE-FEED LUBRICATING SYSTEMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 31921.

Application filed August 25, 1919. Serial No. 319,706.

' full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention has for its object to provide an improved terminal check valve for force feed lubricating systems and the particular objects sought and obtained are greater efiiciency, increased durability and greater reliability in action.

Generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

Particularly. the improved terminal check valve is intended for use in connection with the force feed lubricating systems of locomotives, and the present invention is in the nature of an improvement on the general type of check valve disclosed and claimed in Letters Patent No. 1,219,812, granted to C. B. Douty, of date, March 20th, 1917 and No. 1,270,125 granted to Louis Deck, of date, June 18, 1918. IVhile the check valves of the said two patents have, in practice, been found operative and in most respects, highly eflicient, being a decided improvement on earlier valves for the same purpose, nevertheless, they have certain defects. and, as I have found, in practice, are capableof highly important improvements. These improvements have been embodied in a commercial form of valve shown in the accompanying drawing and herein described and claimed.

The invention is illustrated in the single view of drawing, which view is a vertical section taken centrally through the improved terminal check valve.

In force feed locomotive lubricating systems, as is well known, the force feed lubricator proper, which includes a pump, is usually located some distance from the point of delivery of the oil into the steam and the pump is connected by an oil delivery pipe to the steam of the locomotive, the terminal check valves being usually located close to the points where the lubricator pipe delivers into the steam.

One of the delivery end portions of the oil delivery pipe from the lubricator pump is, in the drawings, indicated by the numeral 1, the same being provided at its delivery end with a conical end that is projected to afford a clamping shoulder 2. This conical end of said delivery pipe is connected to a threaded nipple 3 of the oil chamber casing 4: of the terminal check valve. At its under side, the oil chamber 4 has a depending threaded nipple 5 that is adapted to be, and as shown is, screw-threaded through the top of the steam chest 6, a fragment only of which latter is shown in the drawings.

The oil chamber 4 is provided with a yielding upper wall in the form of a metal diaphragm 7. preferably of rolled tempered diaphragm metal, the peripheral edge of which is seated on an internal shoulder 4 of said chamber. A heavy retaining ring 8 is seated near its peripheral edge onv the edge portion of the diaphragm 7. A tubular spring casing 9, threaded at its lower end, works with threaded-engagement in an internal seat on the top of the oil chamber 4 and its'lower edge presses downward on the retaining ring 8 and causes the latter to tightly clamp the rim of the diaphragm 7 against the shoulder 4 IVorking with close engagement with the interior of the lower end of the spring housing 9, much like a piston, is a so-called spring seat 10, preferably made of brass and provided with a reduced hub portion 10 that works telescopically through the retaining ring 8 with close engagement therewith and presses against the upper portion of the diaphragm, and clamps the said diaphragm against a nut 11 having a reduced threaded stem that is screwed into the internally threaded hub 10 and into the interior of the spring seat 10. Here it should be noted that the so-called spring seat 10 is of much greater diameter than the hole in the retaining ring 8 and that the said hole in said retaining ring is of considerably greater diameter than the hole in the diaphragm, and moreover, that the clamping nut 11 is of considerably greater diameter than the hub 10 or the hole in the retaining ring 8. This, as will presently more clearly appear, prevents shearing of the diaphragm.

The needle valve 12 is extended through the nut 11 and, at its upper end, is provided with a rounded head 12 that is seated against a hardened bearing plate 13, at the top of the axial chamber in spring seat 10. Said needle valve is shownas yieldingly pressed against the said bearing plate 13 by a light coiled spring 14 countersunk into the nut 11 and pressing upward on the head of the said needle valve. The conical lower end of needle valve 12 engages a seat formed in a bushing 15 that is screwed into the top of the nipple 5.

The diaphragm, the needle valve and other parts carried therewith are yieldingly pressed downward so the said needle valve will normally close the oil delivery passage through bushing 15 and nipple 5, by a heavy coiled spring 16 located axially'within the casing 9 with its lower end seated against a spring cap 17 and its upper end seated against a spring cap 18. Spring caps 17 and 18 have convex outer surfaces seated, respectively against spring seat 10 and against'a plug abutment 19 that is screwed into the upper end of spring housing .9. Here it may be noted that the sides of the spring housing 9 are preferably cut away in part, substantially as shown in the drawings.

In the above described valve it is evident that the convex surfaces on the spring caps 17 and 18 serve to centralize the load of the spring 16 on the piston-like spring seat 10, and hence, on the needle valve. The hardened plate 13 prevents the convex head of needle valve from seating itself in the softer metal of valve seat 10. Hence, the said head of needle valve is free to assume always true axial positions in respect to its seat and bushing 15.

As is well known, under the intermittent delivery action. of the lubricator pump, the

increased pressure on the oil in chamber 1.

will, under each delivery stroke, raise diaphragm 7 together with seat 10, nut 11 and needle valve 12, thus unseating the said valve and permitting a ',delivery of oil through bushing 15 and nipple 5 to the steam of the locomotive. Of course, needle valve 12 will be seated as soon as the delivery pressure from the pump is relieved on diaphragm 7, under this action. of the spring 16.

In valves of this character, the oil delivery passage controlled by the needle valve sometimes gets clogged or stopped up, and hitherto, trouble has been caused in such a case by the great pressure that the lubricator pump then exerts on the oil and on the diaphragm, and this has caused shearing of the diaphragm. This shearing of the diaphragm in the earlier forms of the valve has been due sometimes to the accumulation of cinders where they will cause tilting of the diaphragm engaging elements and pressing the diaphragm against the inner edge of the diaphragm retaining ring. Here it is important to note that no cinders can accumulate where they will do harm, first, because the piston acting seat 10 works in such close engagement with the spring housing 9 that cinders cannot get on the said valve seat; and second, because, the rim of the nut 11 being outward of the periphery of the hub l0 presses the diaphragm against the retaining ring 8 outward of the inner edge of said retaining ring and thus avoids any possible shearing action. Further note that the engagement of the outer edge of nut 11 with the diaphragm on the line noted, prevents the oil pressure from forcing the diaphragm upward against the inner edge of the retaining ring and thus avoids a shearing action that would otherwise take place at the inner edge of said retaining ring.

It should be further noted that as the head of the needle valve 12 cannot seat or press itself into the spring seat 10, frequent adjustments of the device hitherto made necessary for the above purpose are here made unnecessary. The statements above made are based on actual experience with working valves designed, as illustrated in the drawings and herein described.

. Vhat I claim is:

1. The combination with a valve casing having an oil chamber with inlet and discharge passages, of a diaphragm seated i1". said casing and exposed to said oil chamber, a retaining ring seated in said casing against the rim of said diaphragm, a, needlevalve carried by said diaphragm for opening and closing said discharge passage, a spring acting on said diaphragm to cause said needle valve to close said discharge passage, and a stop element movable with said diaphragm and projecting on the oil exposed side thereof outward beyond the inner edge of said retaining ring to protect said diaphragm against shearing under excessive oil pressure.

2. The combination with a valve casing having an oil chamber with inlet and dis charge passages, of a diaphragm seated in said casing and exposed to said oil chamber. a retaining ring seated against the rim of said diaphragm, a spring housing screwed into said valve casing and pressing said retaining ring against said diaphragm, a piston-like'spring seat working in close engagement with the lower end of said spring housing and having a reduced hub working in close engagement through said retaining ring and engageable with the upper portion of said diaphragm, a clampingnut having a reduced portion screw-threaded into the reduced hub of said spring seat and having a marginal portion engageable with said diaphragm on the oil exposed side thereof on a line outward of the inner edge of said retaining ring to protect said diaphragm against shearing under excessive oil pressure, and a needle valve extended axially through said nut and movable with said diaphragm to open and close said discharge passage.

3. The combination with a valve casing having an oil chamber with inlet and discharge passages, of a diaphragm seated in said casing and exposed to said oil chamber, a retaining ring seated against the rim of said diaphragm, a spring housing, screwed into said valve casing and pressing said retaining ring against said diaphragm, a piston-like spring seat working in close engagement with the lower end of said spring housing and having a reduced hub working in close engagement through said retaining ring and engageable with the upper portion of said diaphragm, a clamping nut having a reduced portion screw-threaded into the reduced hub of said spring seat and having a marginal portion engageable with said diaphragm on the oil exposed side thereof on a line outward of the inner edge of said retaining ring to protect said diaphragm against shearing under excessive oil pressure, and a needle valve extended axially through said nut and movable with said diaphragm to. open and close said discharge passage, said needle valve having a rounded head and said spring seat having an inset hardened bearing plate engageable with the rounded head of said needle valve.

4. The combination with a valve casing having an oil chamber with inlet and discharge passages, of a diaphragm seated in said casing and exposed to said oil chamber, a retaining ring seated against the rim of said diaphragm, a spring housing screwed into said valve casing and pressing said retaining ring against said diaphragm, a piston-like spring seat working in close engagement with the lower end of said spring housing and having a reduced hub working in close engagement through said retaining ring and engageable with the upper portion of said diaphragm, a clamping nut having a reduced portion screw-threaded into the reduced hub of said spring seat and having a marginal portion engageable with said diaphragm on the oil exposed side thereof on a line outward of the inner edge of said retaining ring to protect said diaphragm against shearing under excessive oil pressure, a needle valve extendedaxially through said nut and movable with. said diaphragm to open and close said discharge passage, and a spring insaid housing reacting against the same and said spring seat and exerting a force on said diaphragm tending to cause said needle valve to close said discharge passage. I

5. The combination with a valve casing having an oil chamber with inlet and discharge passages, of a diaphragm seated in said casing and exposed to said oil chamber, a retaining ring seated against the rim of said diaphragm, a spring housing screwed into said valve casing and'pre'ssing'said retaining ring against said diaphragm, a piston-like spring seat working in close engagement with the lower end of said spring housing and having a reduced hub working in close engagement through said retaining ring and engageable with the upper portion of said diaphragm, a clamping nut having a reduced portion screw-threaded into the reduced hub of said spring seat and having a marginal portion engageable with said diaphragm on the oil exposed side thereof on a line outward of the inner edge of said retaining ring to protect said diaphragm against shearing under excessive oil pressure, and a needle valve extended axially through said nut and movable with said diaphragm to open and close said discharge passage, an adjustable abutment in the upper end of said spring housing, a coiled spring in said housing axially alined with said needle valve, and upper and lower spring caps engageable with the ends of said spring and respectively with said abutment and valve seat, said spring caps having convex outer faces.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM J. SCHLACKS. 

